Amid demographic crisis, Germany opens opportunities for Indonesian workers

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Over the next 15 years, Germany is projected to face one of the largest retirement waves in its history. By 2039, around 13.4 million people from the baby boomer generation, or roughly 31 per cent of Germany’s workforce, are expected to enter retirement.

The shrinking number of people of working age is making Germany increasingly dependent on foreign labour to keep its labour market functioning. Labour migration has therefore become one of the country’s key strategies.

The World Migration Report 2026, published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), notes that some 304 million people, or one in every 30 of the world’s inhabitants, live outside their country of origin in search of a better livelihood.

“Around the world, migration helps drive employment, economic growth, stability and social cohesion,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope in the report.

For Germany, the labour mobility described in the report has become one way of addressing worker shortages caused by an ageing population.

According to a source at Germany’s Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs familiar with the policy, the government continues to expand its efforts to attract skilled labour from abroad.

This was conveyed to ANTARA during a recent Skilled Labour Migration visit programme to the country.

In addition to facing a shrinking workforce, Germany is also restructuring its economy towards more environmentally friendly industries. This transformation has increased demand for professionals in the health sector, information technology, artificial intelligence, construction, transport and logistics, early childhood education, and various other technical professions.